I’m not ashamed to shop at Ikea. It’s 9 miles away and full of cheap, modern, and ultimately hack-able furniture. At this stage, with two cats and two dogs, I would rather have slightly more temporary furniture that I can paint, upholster, rearrange or otherwise mutilate than nice investment furniture that might get ruined anyway.

So here are my personal favorite basics currently available at Ikea:

1. The Karlstad

This was my first real sofa and, despite having been listed on Craigslist various times, it has still stuck around, these days as a “dog sofa” or extra seating when we have company (we have a pretty large living room so having two sofas works). The best part? The white cover is $50, 100% cotton, and can be dyed. It was the greatest epiphany I’ve ever had, but of course people on pinterest have been there done that. On top of that, alternative legs are available for pretty cheap on Etsy!

2. LINBLOMMA linen duvet cover

I’ve only recently come to appreciate really good textiles and the impact that a good weave in a solid color can have. This is easily the cheapest linen duvet you’re going to find on the internet ($89 for a king, which we use despite only having a queen size mattress). Linen has the loveliest sheen, gets softer the more you wash it, and even looks better wrinkled when you forget it in the dryer.

3. FJÄLKINGE shelving unit

Bookshelves are great for a lot of people. For me, if it’s not built in, I will always prefer an open shelving unit to a bookcase. We recently bought two of these to fill with books and trinkets that had been sitting in the garage too long. They have simple lines, are durable, and are tall enough to draw the eye up and show off our vaulted ceiling. Note: I realize people with kids or normal people who don’t move their furniture around all the time or normal people in general will want to attach these to the wall. If you don’t (I didn’t), make sure the heaviest stuff makes it to the bottom shelf.

4. HOLMLIDAN table lamp

I’m not sure why I’m obsessed with this lamp. I didn’t even paint it or switch out the shade — it’s just one of the few things I liked as-is when I bought it. The shade is black and looks more navy blue when the light is on, and the bottom is black and surprisingly sculptural. It’s $25 but seems like it should cost more.

5. RANARP work lamp

Again with the lighting. We have the desktop version in the office and the floor version in the living room and they’re both pretty cool-looking. I’m good with anything white and gold, and Alex likes the industrial style. The best part is finding them in the as-is section and not having to put them together!

6. BESTÅ shelf unit

We looked for a while for dining room storage before deciding on this. We bought a two-door unit and a one-door one to fit along our dining room wall without looking weirdly small. A piece of birch plywood from Home Depot (with iron-on birch banding expertly applied by myself) makes it look much more custom. We even cut holes in the back for the outlets that are for some reason the only place the wifi router can live, so everything is cord-free and hidden away.

7. STABEKK mirror

This mirror is pine but in a good way, lighter than it looks, and bigger than you’d expect. I put one in my guest bathroom and will eventually get one for the master. It’s simple and brings a natural element to an otherwise tile-covered space. I ended up using the leftover birch plywood from my dining room BESTÅ project to put shelves in the random nook behind the door, and the finish on this mirror matches plain poly’d birch pretty perfectly.

P.S. I’m obviously not a photographer but I’m working on it 🙂